This invention relates generally to the labeling of merchandise on store shelves and the like, for example to display a product price, a bar code, or other merchandise information. More particularly, the invention relates to label holders of the type adapted to fit in so called "price channels" commonly provided on the front of supermarket shelves and the like.
A price channel may, for example, be located along, or form the front edge of a supermarket or like product display shelf, and may be a metal extrusion of generally arcurate concave cross section with upper and lower retention lips. To display product information in such channels, use is made of price channel flags which are rectangular cards of resilient sheet material, such as plastic sheet, which are slightly wider than the channel and which are flexed into concave form and snapped into the channel to be retained therein by engagement of the upper and lower edges of the card against the upper and lower channel lips. It is also known for price channel flags to have a depending portion which projects below the price channel to carry additional product information, promotional material, and the like.
Known price channel flags, however, suffer from certain disadvantages. For example, price channels, although generally of standard nominal width, may in fact vary somewhat in width, so that a flag sized to fit a nominal width channel may be too small for a somewhat overwidth channel, and not be adequately retained therein. Further the marking of price channel flags with product information is commonly by way of direct adhesion and there is generally no facility for using replaceable reusable price labels with such flags. Another drawback of flags which incorporate a depending portion is that if the depending portion carries a bar code, it may not be sufficiently well supported to be properly read by a bar code reader since it hangs freely beneath the price channel.
The present invention is directed toward the provision of a price channel flag structure which is an improvement over the prior art devices in the above respects.